"After the devastating earthquake in Japan earlier this year, what was at the top of Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn's list of things to do? Make sure production of the all-electric Leaf got back on track.
This important point was revealed in an article in the New York Times about Ghosn's recent talk in New York about the five big crises that recently caused various amounts of trouble for the automaker. In no particular order, they are the earthquake/tsunami, flooding in Thailand, economic troubles in both the U.S. and Europe and a yen that is too strong.
Two ways that Nissan is making sure the Leaf will be better isolated from future crises is that the EV will be built in both the U.S. and the UK. Ghosn also wants a cheaper Leaf, telling the Times, "But the batteries [for EVs] are still too heavy and expensive. The evolution of the battery is extremely important for development in the 21st century." Since a Leaf produced around the world would be protected against economic and environmental trouble in any one area and because it is also immune to fluctuations in gas prices, Ghosn called it, "the anti-crisis weapon." That, my friends, could be the start of a meme."
Em: http://green.autoblog.com/2011/11/20/ca ... -priority/